Legal News 06/2008 (Page 2)

Auditor weighs in on complaints about Minn. attorney general (Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune)

ST. PAUL - Minnesota's legislative auditor is set to weigh in on allegations of misconduct against Attorney General Lori Swanson. The office of Auditor James Nobles says he will release a preliminary assessment in a letter to a legislative panel on Tuesday morning.(Jun 2, 2008)

Auditor to weigh in on complaints about Minn. attorney general (Pioneer Press)

Minnesota's legislative auditor is set to weigh in on allegations of misconduct against Attorney General Lori Swanson. (Jun 2, 2008)

New Delhi, June 2 (IANS) The Supreme Court Monday expressed shock after seeing the photograph of a lawyer who died in judicial custody, chained to a hospital bed, after allegedly having been ordered to be handcuffed by two Allahabad High Court judges.(Jun 3, 2008)

The Manhattan District Attorney is looking into whether a crime was committed at the scene of a deadly crane collapse on Friday. The DA wants to know if the New York City Buildings Department ordered a replacement for a faulty turntable that connects the boom to the carriage of the crane.(Jun 3, 2008)

Prague- Czech Supreme State Attorney Renata Vesecka today dismissed a subordinate state attorney's previous testimony on Supreme Court deputy head Pavel Kucera having exerted pressure on her in the case of Jiri Cunek, deputy prime minister who was prosecuted for corruption last year.(Jun 3, 2008)

Lawyer Fieger acquitted of campaign charges (AP via Yahoo! Finance)

A federal jury in Detroit has found prominent attorney Geoffrey Fieger not guilty of violating campaign finance laws. The one-time lawyer for assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian and a law partner were accused of illegally funneling $127,000 to the 2004 presidential campaign of former U.S.(Jun 3, 2008)

Lawyer Fieger acquitted of campaign charges (The Charlotte Observer)

A federal jury in Detroit has found prominent attorney Geoffrey Fieger not guilty of violating campaign finance laws. The one-time lawyer for assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian and a law partner were accused of illegally funneling $127,000 to the 2004 presidential campaign of former U.S. Sen. John Edwards. Jurors heard 18 days of testimony before returning its verdicts Monday on the ...(Jun 3, 2008)

An attorney for the Nation of Islam told a judge today that he can no longer represent one of its security guards in a lawsuit brought by a police officer because of a conflict of interest.(Jun 3, 2008)

Man questioned in attorney’s shooting death won’t get new judge (Rockford Register Star)

A request for DNA from a Rockford man who police believe is connected to the death of his attorney played a role in the man’s argument to get a new judge in a separate case. Presiding Judge Joe McGraw denied the request that he voluntarily step down this morning in the Winnebago County Courthouse. (Jun 3, 2008)

Class-Action Lawyer Gets 30 Months in Prison (New York Times)

Melvyn I. Weiss, the prominent class-action lawyer, was sentenced to 30 months in prison by a federal district judge in Los Angeles for his role in concealing illegal kickbacks to plaintiffs.(Jun 3, 2008)

B.C. attorney general orders special prosecutor for B.C. polygamous community (Times & Transcript)

B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal has appointed a special prosecutor to look into allegations of misconduct at the B.C. polygamous community of Bountiful.(Jun 3, 2008)

Lawyer in Aslamazyan Case Attacked (St. Petersburg Times)

MOSCOW — Two men attacked and robbed lawyer Viktor Parshutkin on Friday, a few days after he successfully defended media activist Manana Aslamazyan against currency-smuggling charges.(Jun 3, 2008)

Tycoon’s Lawyer Meets German Foreign Minister (St. Petersburg Times)

MOSCOW — Ahead of a trip by President Dmitry Medvedev to Berlin this week, Germany’s foreign minister has met with a lawyer representing Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a German diplomatic source said Saturday.(Jun 3, 2008)

Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced his office filed suit against an Auburn insurance broker who targeted seniors across the state by selling overlapping home health services policies they did not need.(Jun 3, 2008)

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- The Department of Legislative Services is working with its attorney to comply with a "broad" subpoena from federal investigators, who are probing a case involving an influential state senator, the department's director said Monday. (Jun 3, 2008)

Attorney in Pelo case questions evidence handling (WHOI Peoria)

Posted: Monday, June 02, 2008 at 3:48 p.m. BLOOMINGTON, ILL. (AP) -- The attorney for a former Bloomington police officer charged in four rapes is questioning whether investigators properly handled evidence in the case.(Jun 3, 2008)

Securities Lawyer Weiss Sentenced for Kickbacks (NPR)

High-profile securities lawyer Melvyn Weiss is sentenced to 30 months in prison for his role in an illegal kickback scheme. His firm dominated the securities class-action business, representing disgruntled investors.(Jun 3, 2008)

Attorney-general under fire on graft case (Financial Times)

A proposed maiden prosecution relating to alleged corruption overseas involving a British company official has been held up for more than four months at the attorney-general’s office, triggering criticism that London is again dragging its feet in tackling accusations of graft.(Jun 3, 2008)

Securities Lawyer Weiss Sentenced for Kickbacks (NPR)

High-profile securities lawyer Melvyn Weiss is sentenced to 30 months in prison for his role in an illegal kickback scheme. His firm dominated the securities class-action business, representing disgruntled investors.(Jun 3, 2008)

Nod to Obama Costs Lawyer Kmiec in Church (NPR)

All Things Considered , June 2, 2008 · Conservative lawyer Douglas Kmiec was denied communion recently at a mass connected with a gathering of Catholic business people. The priest denounced Kmiec's endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama, then refused to give Kmiec communion.(Jun 3, 2008)

YORK — For the first time in two years, Doug McKown and the state attorney general’s office agreed on something.(Jun 3, 2008)

Cesar Ramos still searching for attorney (Salina Journal)

ERIN MATHEWS The family of a Salina boy charged with attempted murder in March is still trying to find an attorney to represent him. Cesar Ramos, 15, who with his brother Juan Ramos, 16, is charged in the shooting of Torrean Hughley, 18, made an appearance Monday in Saline County District Court.(Jun 3, 2008)

Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell says his office has found some scams by unscrupulous moving companies. The problem is Caldwell cannot get all of the agencies involved on the same page.(Jun 3, 2008)

BOSTON - The Massachusetts attorney general's office has fined a Virginia electrical company and its owner $15,929 for violating the state's prevailing wage law and underpaying a worker during a seven-month Holyoke street light repair project in 2006 and 2007.(Jun 3, 2008)

OXFORD — The Miami University football player accused of assaulting a female student in her dorm room thought he had entered his own room after a night of drinking, according to his attorney.(Jun 3, 2008)

Out-of-State Gun Case Lawyer Defaults on Trial (The New York Sun)

The trial involving a Georgia gun shop that Mayor Bloomberg has accused of selling many guns that were subsequently trafficked into New York City has been postponed indefinitely. The trial had been set to begin tomorrow at a U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, but a lawyer for the gun store, John Renzulli, decided to forfeit the case in order to be able to quickly appeal some preliminary rulings by ...(Jun 3, 2008)

TAMPA, Fla. - Hulk Hogan's son has asked a judge to change his jail sentence, his lawyer said Monday. Nick Bollea, 17, is serving an eight-month term after pleading no contest to causing a crash that seriously injured his best friend.(Jun 3, 2008)

Temple, villagers given time to get lawyer (The Star)

GEORGE TOWN: A century-old temple, a mini market and seven villagers of Kampung Belacan, Batu Ferringhi have been given time to get a lawyer to defend them in a suit for vacant possession filed by the landowner.(Jun 3, 2008)

The attorney for a Fayette County man accused of shoving a woman with such force that she died after striking her head on rocks told jurors Monday his client will admit to pushing the victim but that the killing was unintended.(Jun 3, 2008)

Lawyer: Player accused of assault just confused (Sports Illustrated)

OXFORD, Ohio (AP) -- The lawyer representing a Miami of Ohio football player accused of assaulting a female student in her dorm room says the player was drunk and entered the woman's room thinking it was his own.(Jun 3, 2008)

DEFENSE LAWYER: Spence keeps legacy intact (Detroit Free Press)

Wyoming trial lawyer Gerry Spence closed his legendary career Monday on a familiar note: winning -- and with a flourish. As lead criminal lawyer for Geoffrey Fieger, Spence successfully argued, as he has so often, that a powerful federal government had overreached in prosecuting his client.(Jun 3, 2008)

LOS ANGELES – Prominent attorney Melvyn Weiss was sentenced yesterday to 30 months in prison after authorities accused him of helping orchestrate a lucrative lawsuit kickback scheme targeting some of the largest corporations in the nation.(Jun 3, 2008)

Class action lawyer Weiss sentenced to 30 months (Financial Times)

Melyvn Weiss, the class-action lawyer who helped win billions of dollars in settlements from some of the world’s biggest corporations, was on Monday sentenced to two and half years in prison for his role in a scheme to pay kickbacks to clients.(Jun 3, 2008)

Attorney brushes off Navy sonar complaint (Honolulu Advertiser)

The Navy recently complained about differing sonar restrictions imposed by courts in California and Hawai'i, but an attorney for plaintiffs in a Hawai'i lawsuit said the two sets of rules resulted from the Navy's "unwillingness" to agree to provisions that were previously ordered and pressing the court here to rule differently.(Jun 3, 2008)

NC Attorney General To Release Crime Figures (NBC 17 Raleigh)

RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper is set to release annual statewide crime statistics which detail the number of murders, assaults and burglaries committed last year.(Jun 3, 2008)

Monticello names Billig as new village attorney (Middletown Times Herald-Record)

Monticello — The Village of Monticello board unanimously approved the appointment of Jacob Billig as their new attorney Monday evening.(Jun 3, 2008)

Entwistle's lawyer faults questioning of jury pool (Boston Globe)

WOBURN - The long-awaited trial of the Englishman accused of shooting his wife and baby daughter in cold blood in a case that captured attention on both sides of the Atlantic began yesterday with the defense lawyer publicly criticizing the presiding judge.(Jun 3, 2008)

ROGERS : City attorney checking appeal on high-rise (NWAnews.com)

ROGERS — The city attorney is investigating the validity of an appeal filed Friday that questions whether an 11-story hotel should have been approved last month. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Northwest Edition)(Jun 3, 2008)

Melvyn I. Weiss, the prominent class-action lawyer, was sentenced to 30 months in prison by a federal district judge in Los Angeles for his role in concealing illegal kickbacks to plaintiffs.(Jun 3, 2008)

Concourt shoots down ex attorney's appeal (Independent Online)

A former attorney accused of stealing R1,4-million from his trust account had his application for leave to appeal to the Constitutional Court dismissed.(Jun 3, 2008)

Former E Cape attorney’s appeal fails (SABC News)

A former attorney accused of the theft of R1.4 million from his trust account had his application for leave to appeal to the Constitutional Court dismissed today.(Jun 3, 2008)

Two men accused of involvement in a spree of crimes in late 2006 were indicted last week on a charge of aggravated robbery.Prosecutors for the District Attorney's Office allege that Jose Manuel "Whiskey" Nuñez Sanchez, 23, and Sergio "Pelon" Oslan Rivera, 27, broke into a home on Richter Drive on Nov. 11, 2006.(Jun 3, 2008)

Melvyn I. Weiss, the prominent class-action lawyer, was sentenced to 30 months in prison by a federal district judge in Los Angeles for his role in concealing illegal kickbacks to plaintiffs.(Jun 3, 2008)

THE LAWYER AWARDS 2008 PREVIEW (The Lawyer)

The Lawyer Awards 2008 is the premier event in the legal calendar. Every June around 1,500 of the industry's leading lawyers gather in the Great Room of the Grosvenor House Hotel to celebrate their achievements of the previous year.(Jun 3, 2008)